The Story Of Us
by The Pris
Summary: For him everything came down to destiny. &, as he stood there staring at her, her ruby lips tilted down in a pout as she waited for him to tell her who he wanted standing next to him, he couldn't help but think of how perfectly imperfect their story was.


**Author**: The Pris

**Rating: **T/PG-13

**Title:** The Story Of Us

**Disclaimer:** I own _nothing _to do with One Tree Hill. If I had been in charge: Peyton would still be the fearless girl she was in the beginning of season one, season two, and beginning of season three. Lucas would have realized that he wasn't just the guy for Brooke Davis, but _she _was the girl for _him. _Rachel would still be there raising hell instead of being the _utterly _creepy wife/ ex-wife/ whatever-the-hell-she-is of the brother-killing-asshole named Dan. And Julian would've remained to be a kinda cool character instead of Peyton's leftovers that the writers threw at Brooke, as if that made everything _Pucas _did alright. Also, Peyton and Lucas just would have never happened. Maybe long enough to prove to everyone just how bad they were together, but I surely wouldn't have completely ignored how many people's hearts they destroyed on their journey to end up with each other. So I do not own One Tree Hill and, _if_ you thought I did, then I'm insulted because there is no way I ever would have been able to write the complete crap that is known as season four and up – even though I no longer have to put up with Pucas and all of their true love always blah blah blah BS.

* * *

I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us;  
How we met and the sparks flew instantly  
And people would say "they're the lucky ones."  
I used to know my place was a spot next to you,  
But now I'm searching the room for an empty seat  
'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on.  
A simple complication, miscommunications lead to fallout,  
So many things that I wish you knew, so many walls up that I can't break through.  
Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking.  
And I'm dying to know, is it killing you, like it's killing me?  
Yeah.

Story of Us – Taylor Swift.

This was the closest he had been to her in weeks and he could not help but stare at her.

It had been a distance that had been measured in physical distance as well as emotional coldness but, despite all the pain, the sight of her that night had still hypnotized him. He didn't know what it was about her that attracted him, but he was pretty sure that it was either the small craters that formed in her cheeks when she smiled, or the way her striking hazel eyes bore into him as though she understood him without him ever needing to say a word.

Tonight was no exception as she stood beside him with her luscious brown locks falling down to frame her face while wearing a black dress that seemed a little _too_ conservative for her, but still managed to expose just enough cleavage to leave nothing to the imagination. All of which stood out in stark contrast to her ruby lips that seemed to call out to him. She looked as if she were meant to be out on the red carpet somewhere instead of walking beside him in some hick-town, driving him completely insane.

And it was as if she didn't know that she _still _affected him in that way.

He did not understand how she _couldn't _know. The brunette goddess had always affected him in ways that had scared him, ways that he hadn't understood. Though he hadn't seen it then, he had been doomed to fall for her from the moment she had popped up naked in his backseat. It had been the moment that his entire world had changed. Moreover, if he were truly doomed to carry the burden of loving her for the rest of his life, then he would willingly bear the weight. Because not loving her had ceased to be an option over a year ago and he doubted that there would ever a day that he didn't love her. She completed him in every way; they fit together like two pieces from the same puzzle, without her, he was incomplete. Unfinished.

They hadn't talked, not one word since they had started heading back to the house that she had been calling her own since everything went to hell so he could drop her off, and it was only when they started making their way up the steps of the redhead's house that she seemed to acknowledge his presence beside her. An act that lifted an unbearable weight off his already ailing heart. Being beside her, in complete silence, was not something he was used to. For the two years he had known her, he had _never _known her to be quiet for more than thirty seconds, and then she would display those gorgeous dimples and go off on an excited rant about the latest gossip she had heard.

As they reached the end of their short journey, they stopped right outside the front door that was the wrong colour; the door that should be red; _their _colour, she turned to look up into his icy blue eyes that still managed to clear her mind, erasing all conscious thought, leaving her drooling like an idiot. But those days were long gone. Yet that didn't stop her from feeling guilty because of how she was acting; acting as though she could care less about their relationship that had fallen apart like one of the great tragedies that he had read to her, when the truth was the complete opposite. She hadn't been lying earlier when she had told him that she missed him.

"Lucas, don't hate me, okay?" She breathed out as she lowered her raspy voice, internally falling apart as she tried to keep up her indifferent façade instead of launching herself into his arms and never letting go, as she so desperately wanted. "But I think this was a mistake."

She could tell that those words were a blatant lie even as they fell from her ruby-red lips; because there was no way that she would ever be able to label what she had shared with _him _as a mistake. He was anything _but_ a mistake, even though his biological father had spent the past eighteen-years trying to convince him of such a fact. Nevertheless, if he _was _a mistake, then he was _her _favourite mistake.

She hated quoting that bad-cover by Sheryl Crow almost as much as she hated the fact that he was no longer in her life, but it was true. There would never be a day where she would wish that she could erase the times that they had shared, or him from her life, no matter what pain she endured as a result. Why the hell would she ever want to erase the best things that had ever happened to her?

He was silent for a moment, not commenting on her words right away, allowing their excruciating meaning to wash over him as he took in her words. This was going to be the end of them, he knew it. If the moment she walked into his life was the moment that he could point back to and say that it was when everything had _changed_, this would be the moment that he would point to in his later years, saying that it was the moment he had _lost everything_.

All he could try to do now was comfort her and listen to how she felt, all the while hoping that there would be a day where the two of them would at least be able to be _friends_. If she could no longer be with him; if she no longer _loved _him, then he would find a way to get through, but he couldn't live without her. Life without her would be empty; without her in his life, he would not really be living.

"So do I," he lied through his teeth as he tried to bury the suffocating pain that he felt hidden inside his very being.

She winced internally upon hearing that he truly felt that way, that from this moment she would walk through life lying about how she felt while he moved on without her because he _honestly _thought that the two of them had been a mistake. They had been something special, a love that people would someday write about, but they hadn't been meant to last.

It was that truth that hurt the most, simply because he was the person that she loved the most in this world. She had wandered through her life surrounded by people, but alone, only having her beloved best friend by her side but then _he _had walked into her life, turning her entire universe upside own. Because of him, she had learned to accept herself for who she was and then she had found people that she had cared for, people that cared for her; she had finally found the family that she had spent years searching for.

Now though, she was back to being that same lonely girl now that her childhood best friend since the age of eight had broken her heart again by falling in love with _her _boy, leaving her broken and afraid to admit that she was still in love with him, despite how her heart had been torn into two. After all, _he _hadn't done anything wrong, not really. He had simply _lied _to her; it had been the other blonde that had betrayed her again, for the second time.

Admitting that to him out loud though, would be letting him back into her heart again and that was the one thing she would not be able to survive, not now that she knew that he no longer loved her. Therefore, instead of telling the brooder the truth, she kept up her impermeable façade and looked at him with a stony expression.

"You do?" She questioned sadly, her red lips tilted down into a frown as she looked for any hint that he _too _was lying, but she found none and she let him go on believing that her frown was one of confusion and surprise, not one of sadness.

Though it was the most inappropriate time to laugh since his heart was literally breaking all over again, he found himself letting out a soft chuckle at the look of wonder that had crossed her face, making her resemble a small child.

"I missed you _so much _when you broke up with me, Brooke," he admitted, taking a moment to pause as he thought about the moment his heart had been broken beyond all repair. "I spent _every day _hoping that maybe we'd get back together…"

That had been the reason that he had backed off, giving her space, instead of fighting for her like he had so desperately wanted to. When she had put the brakes on their relationship, she had said that she had stopped missing him because it had seemed as though _he _had _never _missed _her_. So, he had stopped smothering her, hoping that she would start to miss him again, but he had tried to talk to her enough so she would see that he _did _miss her; that he wanted her back.

But that day never came.

She smiled as she awaited the punch line, knowing that it was going to arrive as soon as he started talking again because he _always _had a punch line. Noting how he had trailed off though, as though he were unsure about what he was about to say, she knew that he was about to break her heart all over again.

It seemed as though breaking her heart was one of the things that he did best, but she couldn't hate him for it. He had made her the happiest that she could ever remember being in her young life and, for that, she would always love him. Her love for him would never die and she had to believe that, if the two of them were meant to be together as she hoped they were; that they would find their way back to each other in the end. She had to have her faith because, as of now, if she didn't have her faith, she had nothing.

He sighed suddenly, having worked up the courage to finish his explanation, "but listening to Whitey describe his love for Camilla, I just realised-"

"He wasn't describing us," she finished quietly, though she found it unfair that he was basing all of his feelings and thoughts on someone else's love story instead of their own.

He nodded his head, unable to agree to the statement with words because they were too painful for him to say out loud. He had thought that they had a love _that _strong on the night that he had announced to their entire graduating class that _he _was the guy for her; he had believed that the two being together had given them a chance at that kind of love. And he had felt it again on the night of the Boy Draft when he spent the whole evening explaining to the redhead that he just _knew _that he had found the one. There were no flashing lights, no one reason that made the fact make sense, she just was.

At least, he had thought she was. He still did.

As she thought over everything that had happened between the two of them, an understanding began to grow in her hazel orbs. Though they had been fighting it for weeks now, it became more and more clear with each passing day that their ship had been sinking long before they had even left the harbour.

She shrugged her shoulders as though the action would rid them of the clarities that were weighing them down, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she tried to figure out if the two of them had ever had a chance at the kind of love.

"Do you think that even exists anymore?" She asked despondently, unable to help herself as she thought of all the couples she had seen that hadn't made it; her parents included, even though they hadn't gotten around to _actually _getting divorced.

"What?" He breathed out, the fact that he didn't understand what she was trying to say more than obvious.

To further support her thoughts, his face scrunched up in that broody way that would forever be ingrained into her memory as she tried to remember every detail of the expression she loved so much; all the way from the pursed lips and crumpled eyebrows.

She smiled at the familiar image, taking a deep breath. "A love so strong that no person can come between it…"

It was with that sentence that her voice faltered, all of the words she had planned on saying dying on her tongue as she thought of the curly-haired blonde that had been the person to come between _their _love. It had been because of her former best friend that his love for her had wavered.

He tilted his head to the side as he tried to think of an answer for her question, knowing that in his heart that he believed that the two of them had been an example of that sort of love. Obviously though, he had been wrong because someone had come between their love; they had come between it themselves with the lack of ability that they possessed to open up to each other.

He couldn't tell her that though, because he knew it would only cause her pain. And that was the last thing he wanted. Because he knew that, even though _she _had been the one to end them this time, she had still gotten her heart broken because the boy she had loved hadn't _known _her.

Instead, he went with an answer that was as close to the truth as he could give.

"I sure hope so."

He still had hope in that sort of love because she had once told him that people always found their way back to the ones that they were meant to be with, and he needed to believe in that now. He had to have _hope _in that now. The belief that someday, when the time was right, that the two of them would find their way back to each other, was the only thing keeping him from pulling her into his arms, refusing to ever let her go.

His heart would forever be hers and, when it was their time to give their relationship another go, he knew that they would be able to figure everything out. That time wasn't now though, he knew it wasn't. For now, their relationship was over.

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod, "_we'll_ just have to wait and see."

He stared down at her, feeling as though she too were talking about their relationship but before he had the chance to question her on it; words came falling out of her mouth like word vomit before she could stop them. Obvious from the slight wince she had released when she processed what she had said.

"So, where does this leave us?"

Miles away from where he wanted them to be.

Nevertheless, he needed her in his life so he found himself offering her a small smile before he reached his hand out to her, "friends?"

"Friends," she agreed as she slid her hand into his much larger one, offering him a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. Then, just as she was about to pull away, he pulled her into his arms and held her there a little longer than was needed, as if he were trying to imprint the feeling into his memory forever.

Her eyes watered with tears as she returned the hug, knowing that the two of them would never be able to be friends. The two of them would talk about meaningless things, hangout in groups, but she would never be able to call him her friend because her feelings for him would always go deeper than that. He would forever be the one that got away.

He then pulled away and the two of them offered each other a strained smile before he walked away, looking back at her once he reached the end of the walk to see her offer him a small wave before he climbed back into his car and drove off, feeling as though he left his entire world behind on those steps.

She stood on those steps, watching him drive away until he was no longer in her sight. As a result of her lies, he didn't know it, but he had just driven away with the remaining bits and pieces of her heart. Sniffing as she felt several tears make their way past her stone walls, she sighed and looked up at the light that was on in the room that she had been sharing with the feisty redheaded. There had been a time where she would have laughed at this fact but…

She needed Rachel.

-x-

She huffed in annoyance as her russet eyes once again travelled along the walls of her room, landing on the second bed before drifting back to the door. It was late, that much she knew, and she wanted to do nothing but sleep since they all had to leave early tomorrow morning in order to make it to the state championship, but the muscle in her chest wouldn't let her sleep until her roommate got home.

The fact that she now cared so much about the girl that usually had to stop and giggle before saying _anything_, was still a surprise to the red-haired harlot but that did not change the fact that her new roomie had found a way to wiggle her way into the heart that Rachel had believed to be cold, dead, and out of order. That had all changed over a month ago when she opened her house to the heartbroken girl upon learning that the two of them had far more in common than either of them had known. But it was after hearing the brunette cry herself to sleep that first night that the feisty cheerleader had made a silent vow to be there for her new friend, even if meant that she had to suffer through the uncomfortable chick-flick moments that she hated so much.

She had been forced to watch the seemingly unbeatable cheer-captain go from the cheery girl that all of her friends loved, to a girl that was unsure of herself and slowly dying on the inside because she had let a mere _boy _into her heart. She wasn't an idiot, she _knew _that the brooder and the break-up that they had suffered was the reason for the brunette's tears and pain, and it _killed _her. For once in her life, Rachel Gatina had found someone that was able to make their way past the stone wall that the redhead had built, and she now found herself wanting to be there for someone else. Instead of being selfish, doing all she could her _own _benefit, she wanted to do all she could to help ease Brooke's anguish.

That reason alone was why she pretended to believe the brunette when she claimed that she had something in her eyes instead of confronting her roommate on her tears, and it was why she stayed up every night, waiting for the cheer-captain to finally cry herself to sleep. She would never fall asleep before her friend, just in case the hazel-eyed girl ended up needing her.

Depending on each other for a shoulder to lean on was a barrier that the two of them hadn't crossed yet in their newfound friendship, not really, and it was mainly because they opted for showing their affection and concern through playful bantering and what other people saw to be cruel jokes. That didn't matter to them though. Their friendship was anything but ordinary but it was genuine, something that the brunette needed now more than ever. And the redhead was ready to be there for the other girl when the time came.

She was ready to be Brooke's rock.

More than that, she was ready to be the brunette's own personal Jiminy Cricket. That was why she had fought against the cheer-captain earlier, trying to convince her that attending that stupid _banquet _with the brooder would be a mistake. There was no way that anything _positive _could come out of it because, as far as she was concerned, the tortured athlete had already made his choice and the brunette wasn't ready to face what they _had been_ yet. Being the insufferable stubborn bitch that she was, though, Brooke hadn't listened to her, and had gone anyway.

Nonetheless, as her eyes drifted to the clock again, the red-haired girl let out a frustrated breath as she tried to stop herself from suffering a full-out anxiety attack. She was _not _a worrywart, but that didn't stop her from noticing that the brunette had promised to be home an hour early. And, as the red-digital number on the clock changed again, Rachel threw her head back in annoyance when she noted that her roommate was officially twenty minutes late. She was _so _going to kick the cheer-captain's ass for making worry like this; for _feeling _like this. No one, not even the cheery brunette, was supposed to have been able to make their way past the stone wall she had built around her heart.

Then, as if she had somehow heard her roommate's thoughts, a tired looking Brooke Davis slowly trudged into the room and headed straight for the adjacent bathroom so she could peel herself out of her dress. Next time she was going to _listen _to the redheaded harlot.

"You look like hell, Brooke," Rachel said honestly once the brunette walked out of the bathroom, wearing an over-sized shirt that the redhead _knew _had belonged to the brooder, raising her eyebrow in thought. "What happened? Broody-Boy wear you out?

"You are _such _a bitch," the brunette muttered.

Rachel merely shrugged and prepared to turn off the light, only to blink in surprise when the brunette opted for crawling into bed with her instead of walking two more feet to climb into her own bed. Suddenly, she felt as though the cheer-captain was _ready _for her to be there for her.

Brooke _needed_ her.

"Are you going to be okay, Slut?"

A shadow of a smile crossed the brunette's face at the familiar nickname and she silently thanked her roommate for asking if she was _going _to be okay; not if she was, because that would have been a completely different question with a completely different answer. As it was though, she nodded meekly and the two of them tried to ignore the way that Brooke's shoulders were shaking because of the restrained tears.

"I just… I wish…" Brooke whispered softly as she cuddled into the redhead's side, "I wish things could go back to how they were before. I can't watch the blonde bitch and Lucas become a couple, Rachel. I _can't_."

Rachel nodded as she reached over turned off the light, knowing that the brunette didn't want to see that happen because it would mean that _every _insecurity she'd ever felt had been correct. It would mean that _she _had been a mere distraction for the brooder until he had been ready to admit that he wanted the blonde whore; Peyton Sawyer.

"I know, Brooke."

Tomorrow was going to be interesting, that much the redhead knew. Whitey was not letting them on the bus because of all the cheer-equipment they were bringing so they were taking _her _Denali. It would be the two of them, along with Bevin and Haley, all travelling to the championship with the tortured artist tagging along. Fun.

-x-

The next day, the brunette sighed. Their trip _definitely _hadn't gone the way she had planned. As if it hadn't been bad enough that Peyton had been there, they had almost missed the game because Haley had needed to stop every other mile to pee. That didn't matter now though. Haley being okay was the _only _thing that mattered because the tutor _had _to be okay.

Brooke chewed on her lip nervously from where she was sitting on one of the many waiting room chairs, her leg bouncing up and down against the white tile floor while her hazel orbs searched the hallway for any of her friends. Haley was still in the examining room being checked out and the other three cheerleaders had disappeared soon afterwards, leaving the anxious cheer-captain to wait by herself.

Hospitals _sucked_. No wonder Peyton had always hated them so much.

"Haley is going to be fine."

Brooke almost laughed. _Speak of the devil, thy name is Peyton._

The cheer-captain glanced over at the blonde with an uninterested expression before rolling her hazel orbs at the girl who was stood in front of her, her hands on her hips as she looked at Brooke with incredulous eyes, as if she was unable to believe that it was the cheery girl that seemed to be void of hope. Ever since she had been a young girl, Brooke Davis had _always _been the one to brighten any person's day with her dimpled-grin and the naïve belief she had in the world. Nevertheless, that belief and hope had been shattered a month ago along with her heart.

"Brooke-"

"What gave you the impression that I would actually _want _to talk to you?" Brooke questioned as she scowled at her former friend before scoffing, "me ignoring you was supposed to be a hint for you to go to hell, 'cause _God _knows I don't want you here."

The brunette smirked to herself as Peyton shrugged her shoulders in defeat before pacing the small waiting room nervously. The curly-haired girl had always hated hospitals, ever since she was younger, and Brooke could not really fault her on such a fact. That didn't mean she was going to give the girl a break though.

Irritation bubbled to the surface once she caught the worried expression that Peyton had had the _nerve _to send her way, causing Brooke to scoff once again. The look was enough for her to know what the other girl was thinking. Peyton was under the misguided notion that she _knew _Brooke. She _hated _the fact that Peyton thought she knew her that well.

"And I'm not worried about Haley," the brown-haired girl lied, "I know she'll be fine."

"_Bullshit_," Peyton muttered as she rolled her eyes at Brooke's words, "but fine, if you don't want to admit that you're worried about her? I'll just pretend that you weren't chewing your lip off when I walked in…something you _always _do when you're nervous."

What she hated even more was the fact that Peyton _did _know her that well. It was a bond that nothing would ever be able to erase between the two girls who had taught each other how to grow up. They knew how the other was feeling without one word being uttered; they knew each other inside and out. A result of growing up together. Peyton Sawyer would always know the brunette better than any other person.

And Brooke _hated _it.

Peyton furrowed her eyebrows together, her thin lips tilting down into a frown as she waited for whatever snide comment Brooke was going to throw her way next. Nothing came though. It seemed as though the fashion savvy cheerleader was hell bent on pretending that she wasn't there and it pissed the blonde off. Bevin and Rachel had wandered off somewhere together and, until Haley came back out, they were all each other had. Yet the brunette seemed determined to act as though she was alone, instead of acknowledging the fact she was in the presence of her former friend. Talk about childish.

"So, you're _really _not going to talk to me?" Peyton questioned cautiously as she slid into the chair next to the not-so-cherry brunette. Her former best friend had barely said a _word _to her since they had left the school that morning and it was driving the blonde insane. "C'mon B Davis, you know this is ridiculous."

"You know, for a fake blonde, you catch on _really _slow," Brooke growled as she crossed her arms across her chest, "I haven't been _talking _to you for a month, Peyton."

The bitter cheerleader threw her hands up in annoyance. "Which is _ridiculous_."

The fashion savvy girl snorted, shaking her head at the blonde. "Not from where I'm standing. I gave you a second chance, you blew it, and right now you are _so _lucky that I'm not talking to you, otherwise you'd be cringing at what I _want _to say to you."

Peyton Sawyer had broken _every _promise that she had made to her in the past year and a half and it _pissed her off_ that, after the hell they had gone through last year, the angsty girl had felt the need to drag the love triangle of drama up again.

Hoes over bros,_ her ass_.

From the chair beside the brunette, Peyton let out a frustrated breath, leaning her head against the wall as she tried to figure out where everything had gone so wrong between the two of them. Her heart sunk at the answer. Everything had gone to hell when she had told the feisty cheerleader that she had feelings for her boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend now.

Just there mere thought of the brooder had the blonde frowning as she thought back to last night when she had told Lucas how she felt. After weeks of holding it in, giving the tortured athlete time to mourn his previous relationship with Brooke, she had _finally _worked up the courage to tell him how she felt. And he had said _'oh.'_

She winced when she thought of the drive to the championship, remembering the _one _exchange she'd had with her former best friend thanks to Rachel's _brilliant _idea of role-playing. The cheer-captain had accused her of stealing boys, only to then be too afraid to tell them how she felt. Peyton almost laughed. If Brooke only knew…

The silence ticked on between the two of them, only the soft murmur of chatting coming from the emergency room as people whispered words of comfort to those they were sitting with while the beeping of medical equipment echoed through the hallways softly. Neither the blonde nor the brunette had words to throw in to disrupt the awkward silence…not that they were talking anyway.

A beat.

"I told Lucas how feel," Peyton blurted out a few moments later when the silence began to get to her, "but…he didn't…he didn't say what I was _expecting _him to."

Why she suddenly felt the need to share a heart-to-heart with the cheery girl, she did not know, but what Peyton _did _know was the fact that Brooke knew her better than any other person on the planet did. In the past, she had always been able to help the flaxen-haired girl figure out her chaotic thoughts and…Peyton knew she could use some of that advice right now. Hell, she would settle with a shoulder to lean on.

Brooke began to chew on her lip once again as she attempted to seem indifferent to the news. However, it was all a façade. Curiosity was chiming throughout her entire body as she fought the urge to comment on what she had just heard. A part of her _wanted _to ask her childhood friend what she had meant by that and then there was gossip-queen inside of her that was _itching _to know what had transpired between the two blondes…but that would require breaking her vow to never talk to the back-stabbing bitch ever again.

_Five…four…three…two…_

"So what _exactly _did he say to you?" The cheer-captain asked once her nosiness won her internal battle, the brunette sharing a look with the angsty teenager as she elaborated, "Lucas… what did he say when you told him how you felt?"

Even though she didn't want to hear her former friend gush about the declaration of love that the brooder had given her, mainly because those love speeches were _supposed _to be meant solely for her, Brooke _had _to know what he had said. She just had to.

Peyton looked away from the brunette as she stared at the wall that Brooke had found interesting a moment prior before she winced, a crimson blush staining her cheeks as she muttered, "_oh_."

The silence was back.

Brooke pouted in thought as she leaned in closer to the other girl, her eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment while she tried to make sense of what the blonde had just said. _Oh? _Surely, she had heard Peyton wrong…right? Who said _'oh' _to a declaration of love?

"What?"

"He said _oh_," Peyton repeated as she looked back at Brooke.

The two childhood friends shared a look and, for a moment, they forgot all of their troubles as the two of them struggled to fight the sudden urge they had to burst out laughing. Despite their efforts though, both girl had a large smile etched into their face as childish giggles fell from their glossy lips.

Brooke kinked her eyebrow in a silent question and the other girl looked away and nodded slightly, a smile still on her face as she shook with laughter. This was _not _the sort of thing that was supposed to happen in real-life. Hell, they made _movies _out of stuff like this.

"Boys can be _so _dumb," Brooke murmured in disbelief, a dimple appearing in the middle of each cheek as she continued to grin at how _stupid _Lucas Scott had been. Of all of the things he could have said, he had said _oh_.

Peyton shook her head and let out a long sigh. "Yeah well, I probably shouldn't have been so surprised," the blonde admitted as her own broody expression crossed her face.

The brunette kinked her eyebrow even higher up her forehead as she tilted her head in confusion, not quite getting what Peyton was saying. The artist had _every right _to be surprised. After all, it was supposed to be the tortured artist and the tortured athlete. Lucas should have pulled her into his arms when he heard that she loved him.

"I asked him once," the curly-haired cheerleader continued with sad eyes, "who he wanted standing next to him when all of his dreams come true." Peyton looked over at the other girl with a pointed look as she sent Brooke a small grin, "and he said _you_."

Hope fluttered in the cheery girl's broken heart as she squinted her eyes together in thought, silently wondering why she had never heard that before. Not that she should have been surprised. When they had been dating, the brooder had told her that she was the biggest part of his world. What _did _surprise her though, was the fact that Peyton was telling her _now_.

"Why would you tell me that," Brooke questioned as she looked up to meet emerald-green eyes again, wishing she were able to read the expression that was on Peyton face.

"I would have given _anything _to hear him say me.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"You sure about that?"

She paused at those words. Once again, Peyton had been able to pick up on her lie. And it _was _a lie because it did matter. If she was still the one that Lucas wanted standing next to him when all of his dreams came true, then that meant that the brooder was still in love with her.

It meant that Boyfriend and Pretty Girl had the chance to have their own happy, Naley-esque ending. The happy ending that the two of them had joked about during the cold autumn nights that they had spent curled up on her bed. At the same time though, it meant that she would have to open her heart up to him again; open it up to the possibility to being _broken _again.

"Yes," Brooke gritted out as she stood up, tears swelling up in her hazel eyes, "he'll figure out you're the one sooner or later."

And she was _not _going to sit around waiting for that day, praying it would never come.

Peyton nodded as she gazed at the brunette intently. "Or maybe he's waiting for _the one _to come back."

-x-

Brooke watched intently as her heart pounded hard in her chest, unable to look away as her hazel eyes followed the orange rubber ball up the court. This was the moment of truth; the moment that the basketball team had spent countless hours practicing for. It was the championship game, their chance to see if they truly _were _the best.

From the time she had spent with the broody shooting-guard, Brooke knew just how much this meant to him and the whole team. All year they had done their best to keep up their winning-streak, wanting nothing more than to actually make it to the state championship as they had _almost _managed last year.

They _had _made it, too, and all that was left for them to do was to win the thing.

The cheer-captain allowed for a dimpled-grin to grace her face as she watched the younger Scott brother run up the court with Skills and Lucas by his side, her heart pounding even harder in her chest as the anticipation grew. Though she had been going through life in a zombie-like state for over a month now, she could not help but let out a squeal of joy as the Tree Hill Ravens scored another three-pointer.

Knowing that their team would bring this home, the fashion savvy team shared a wink with her beloved Tutor-Girl before she looked back to the court, her eyes instantly resting on the brooder that was unaware of the fact that he was _still _holding her heart captive.

Haley chuckled.

The tutor was a lot more observant than others gave her credit for and she _knew _that her best _girl _friend was still in love with her best _guy _friend, even if the brunette was unwilling to admit it aloud. It was as clear as day and the soon-to-be-mother couldn't help but smirk at the transparency of the cheer-captain. Her true feelings were _so obvious _that Haley could hardly believe that Lucas hadn't noticed yet.

Sometimes she was baffled by how naïve her best friend could be, especially when it came to the things regarding his heart. He had two girls that were head-over-heels in love with him and he didn't even notice. How, she didn't know.

If it came down to _her _though, the blue-eyed brooder would end up with the brunette that was standing by her side. Sure, a part of her loved Peyton even though the blonde had done the mother of all bitch moves by telling her best friend that she was in love with said best friend's boyfriend, but Haley would always be Team _Brooke_.

The cheery girl that hadn't really been all that cheery since the break-up had a way of bringing out a side of Lucas that the tutor hadn't known existed until he had started hanging-out with the mysterious head cheerleader.

The overly serious boy had learned how to let loose and have fun every once and a while thanks to the brunette and, because of it, their relationship had been interesting and exhilarating.

She could not help but think that a relationship between the two tortured blondes would be, for lack of a better way of putting it, _boring as hell_.

The two of them would spend all of their time together, listening to music and brooding, mistaking the bonds that they held as something _more _than what it really was. They were friends. That was all they were ever meant to be, but they would misread all the signs and think that their similarities meant they were two pieces of the same soul, an epic love that demonstrated an example of true love.

The sight of her husband being knocked to the floor managed to break the tutor out of her chaotic thoughts and she immediately reached for Brooke's hand, squeezing it tightly as she let out a breath of relief when he got back up and took off running.

This was far too much excitement for her to bear. As the seconds continued to vanish on the clock, Haley felt a tight feeling building up in the pit of her stomach as she tried to think positively; they _had _to win. There was no way that fate would be this unjust, bringing them this far only for them to lose now. Oh _God_, she felt sick just thinking about it.

"Am I the only one that feels like I'm going to throw up?" She questioned as she leaned over to whisper in the cheer-captain's ear, applying more pressure to the hold that she had on Brooke's hand. An act which caused the brunette to laugh at the young woman beside her who looked more nervous over the fact that they may or may not win the championship than she was over the impending arrival of her son.

Another hearty laugh escaped the brunette's lips as she nodded, her brown hair falling around her face as she turned to look at the tutor, the deep craters indenting her cheeks for one of the first time in weeks.

"I would have to say you _are_, Tutor-Mom."

The delight in the brunette's hazel orbs was obvious as she gazed at her previous roommate, her signature eyebrow kinked as Haley rolled her brown eyes at the newest nickname that the cheer-captain had dubbed her with. Honestly, it was hard to keep up when she had a new nickname every other month. She had went from Tutor-_Girl_, to Tutor-_Wife_, and then to Tutor-_Mom._

No one could say that Brooke Davis lacked imagination.

"But _maybe_," the brunette continued slowly as she kinked her eyebrow even higher up her forehead, "you feel that way because you're _pregnant_."

The tutor struggled to remind herself that she _loved _the girl standing beside her as she huffed in annoyance at the way Brooke was teasing her. Ever since people had learned that she was pregnant, everyone had decided that _every single _bad mood she suffered was because of her pregnancy. And she was sick of it.

"No," Haley denied as she gritted her teeth together when she felt the brunette beside her shake with unreleased laughter, "it's not _that_, Tigger, it's just-"

Her sentence was cut-off as she paused in her words, winking at her husband as he caught her eyes as he ran up the court, a serious expression on his face as he chased after the player with the ball. Nathan was feeling it too; the edginess that came from being _this close _to his dream coming true.

That was when she sobered up, a frown on her face as she continued her comment.

"I'm so nervous," she finished as she looked over at her friend with wide eyes, "I mean, what if they don't win? This has been their dream since…_ever_."

Though it went unspoken between the former roommates, they were scared of what would happen if the boys they loved didn't win this. If their dream escaped them…

Then, as she watched her ex-boyfriend steal the ball from the other team, Brooke held her breath as she watched him throw the ball just as the buzzer went off, it's piercing wail sounding through the room as they all waited to see if it would go in. It was such a sweet symmetry to the second game Lucas had played as a Raven. He would not miss this shot.

"I don't think you have to worry about that one," Brooke commented easily with a soft smile on her face as her hazel eyes followed the path of the orange ball as it sailed towards the net. This dream would come true for him, just as his other dreams would, and it didn't make any difference if _she _was standing next to him or not.

It never had. Who he had standing next to him would not change the fact that the brooder was going to great things with his life. He would achieve every dream he had, even if he was alone. _That _didn't dictate who would be standing next to him.

Who he wanted standing next to him was something that his _heart _had to decide.

Then the orange rubber ball fell through the net as Lucas Scott made the buzzer winning shot. It was a shot just like the one Mouth had commented on before; it would be one that women would weep for.

Then the Ravens and their loved ones cheered, realising what the buzzer meant.

They had _won_.

The feeling that followed was one that no one in that gym would ever be able to describe. It was a rush; one like that someone only felt a couple of times throughout their lifetime. It was one so strong that it resembled the feeling one got when they found love for the first time, the joy that one felt when they felt invincible, as if they could do anything. To every person there, proudly wearing Raven blue, it was a rush that was far different from any other feeling that any of them had ever felt in their life. It was the feeling of a dream coming true and, at that moment, despite any past differences, they were all united as they shared that one moment of pure ecstasy that came with the feeling of being on top of the world. They had won.

Then all the Ravens gathered in the middle of the gym, celebrating with each other, as they stood victorious. With high school quickly coming to an end, it now seemed as though all of their other dreams were so much closer now that this one had came true.

Bevin had been the first one to reach her boyfriend, causing all of the cheer-squad to laugh loudly when the two of them began making out in the middle of the court as though they were the only ones present. That couple sure was something.

The next one to take off running was Haley James-Scott.

Brooke smiled to herself as she watched the tutor run off towards Nathan, launching her body into his arms when they met each other halfway. They would be the couple to make it, she knew. There would be struggles throughout the years, but the two of them would always go back to each other. Their love would not alter.

And, just like the night before, the cheery brunette found herself wishing that she would find her own love like that; a love so strong that no one would be able to come between it.

The brooder was the first one to pop into her mind's eye and the brunette instantly found herself searching the crowd for the broody boy. Maybe it was the contagious atmosphere that had formed that was affecting her common sense, but all of a sudden, she felt the need to find the blonde so she could congratulate him. All of a sudden, she felt like the giddy teenager that had been missing ever since she had lost two of the people that meant the most to her.

For that one moment, she was that girl again, the one who was carefree and happy.

As she stood on the tops of her toes so she could see him, the brunette grinned when she saw the brooder. Lucas seemed to be in a state that was somewhere between shock and bliss as he was pulled in for hugs from various people on the court, only to have his hand shook by the next person in line. The poor boy looked uncomfortable as he made his way through the crowd, everyone on the court oblivious as they continued to celebrate, but the cheer-captain could not help but laugh at the expression on his face. In that one moment, he looked like the same boy that had been sitting in the front seat of the old truck as her sixteen year old self popped up behind him, almost as naked as the day she had been born.

That day seemed so long ago that, as she tried to make her way to the broody athlete, Brooke couldn't help but think about how far the two of them had come since that night. Back then, she had merely been the crazy cheer-slut in his eyes, and in the eyes of everyone else, but with his love and guidance, she had learned to grow up in the past two years.

She hated to think of where she would be if he hadn't changed her world.

The mere thought of it made her cringe. She had _definitely _changed for the better.

"Luke," she yelled as she tried to push her way through the crowd, desperate to get to her ex-boyfriend as he came into her sight.

The brooder glanced up upon hearing the unmistakable raspy voice, a large grin lighting up his face when he saw the dimples resting on her cheeks for the first time in weeks (as far as he knew) as he pulled her close to him, holding her there in a tight hug that he _hoped _conveyed how happy he was to have her there beside him. The hug wasn't as forced as the one had been last night, and it was the most complete that the blonde had felt since the two of them had broken up. God he missed her.

"Oh my god," Lucas exclaimed as he continued to hold the petite brunette in his arms, a large smile on his face that displayed all of the happiness he felt in that moment, his eyes glazing over in contentment.

For that one moment, his broody tendencies were put on the sideline as he joined the brunette in her cheery state. This was a dream come true and there she was, standing beside him.

Lucas wasn't stupid though. He knew that this didn't mean that everything between the two of them would magically fix itself just because she was beside him and he was fully prepared for the brunette to take off running the moment he let her go. The only problem was the fact that he didn't know if he _could _let her go.

Though they had other friends that probably wanted a moment alone with the two of them, the brooder was fully prepared to fight with them so he could keep her with him as long as possible. If he was to let the cheer-captain go now, he was unsure if she would ever come back to him. And he would be dammed if he let her go without a fight.

"This is amazing," he continued a moment later as the brunette pushed against his chest gently to force some space between the two of them, something that she had been doing since she had ended their relationship.

"Yeah," Brooke murmured softly as she glanced up into his icy blue eyes, trying her best to memorize every flick and hue that they held, knowing that this could very well be the last time she would be able to look at them this close up.

That was the last thing she should have done, though, because almost instantly, she became lost in their blue depths and suddenly felt as though her heart was going to explode out of her chest. There was an emotion floating in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time, and it scared her.

"This is a dream come true," she continued softly as she looked at his face intently, trying her best to decipher the emotions that were etched into his face.

She remembered the conversation that she had shared with the tortured artist earlier that day, the one where her former best friend had informed her that Lucas had once confided in the other blonde that it was the _brunette _that he had wanted next to him when all of his dreams came true. But a lot had changed since then and the cheery girl needed to know if he still felt the same way, or if his heart now resided with the blonde cheerleader who was standing a mere ten feet away from them.

He had to make his decision tonight because this was the last chance Brooke was going to give him to fight for her, this was the night she was either going to let the blonde back into her heart or let him go forever. In the future, this would be the night that the two of them would look back on; it would be another moment where _everything _had changed between them.

It was time for all of them to put the love-triangle from hell to rest and move on with their lives, a happy ending sure to arrive to at least two of the three of them.

Brooke took a deep breath. "So," she continued as her dimpled-grin fell from her lips and she looked up at the basketball player with a look of pure seriousness. This was it; there was no turning back now. "Who do _**you **_want standing next to you?"

The brooder turned his head to follow the brunette's gaze as his signature squinty expression etched its way into his face as his icy orbs immediately rested on the bitter cheerleader that he had fantasized about being with for _years _before she had shown any interest in him; Peyton Sawyer, the angsty, tortured artist. He suddenly understood what Brooke was asking him.

Though he was a little slow when it came to love and what his heart wanted, he could easily see what the brunette was trying to give him here. She was giving him an out and a fairly easy one at that. The cheer-captain was giving him the chance to admit to what everyone else believed. She was giving him the chance to run up to the bitter cheerleader and declare his undying love for her, guilt free.

If he chose to, he could have a relationship with Peyton Sawyer. After all, the angsty girl had confessed to him earlier that she loved him, that she was _in _love with, and had been for some time now but she had been holding it. With her, there was nothing left for him to do except say that he loved her the way that she loved him. The blonde was the easy choice. With the brunette, he would have to fight like hell to convince her of his feelings.

The ball was in his court now.

No matter what he chose though, the love-triangle that had existed between the three of them since junior year was ending tonight and, as it was, he had two options:

A. He could leave the brunette right now and walk into the blonde's waiting arms.

B. Or he could fight for the cheery girl, as he should have done over a month ago.

He looked back at the brunette and the two of them stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. There was a flicker of sadness in the brunette's eyes as the silence continued to tick on, as though she were slowly giving up with each passing moment, and it was in that moment that Lucas saw the brave front that he had somehow missed over the past month. Brooke was just as scared to open her heart to him again as he was to do with her. However, there was also hope buried deep inside her hazel orbs.

It was in that moment as he stared at her, her ruby-red lips tilted down into a pout as she waited for him to decide whom he wanted standing next to him, that he realised that he had already _had _her. It was Brooke Davis that he wanted standing next to him. There still was not a rhyme or reason as to _why _it was her, the only reason he could give was the fact that they were perfect for each other. They completed each other. They were perfectly imperfect.

"It's you," he answered in an unusually husky voice as he looked at her with uncomplicated cerulean eyes as he waited for her response with bated breath. Lucas had just put the ball back in her court and what happened next was up to her.

Confusion was strewn across Brooke's face. "What?"

"The one I want standing next to me when all my dreams come true," Lucas answered matter-of-factly; "it's _you_."

He could practically _see _her walls go up, "Lucas-!"

"Brooke, let _me _get this out, okay?" Lucas paused when he saw her bite her lip doubtfully before taking a deep breath and continuing his _third _love declaration to the brunette, "after we broke up, Peyton asked me that, and I told her it was you. Even though I felt as though my heart had been torn in two, I knew that you were the one that I wanted next to me; because I knew that you were the only one that could put me back together."

He moved a step towards her, his hand slowly moving up to cup her warm cheek as a surge of bravery rushed through him. Though she seemed confused by the turn of events, Brooke was not running from him and that was a better reaction than he had been anticipating so he took her silence as permission to continue talking.

"_You_ are the girl I want next to me when all of my dreams come true," Lucas breathed out tenderly as he leaned closer to her, his lips centimetres from hers. "And I know that we're only eighteen and I shouldn't know how it feels to feel like this yet, but I know that when I'm looking at you, I'm looking at my future."

"Lucas," she began before she paused to lick her lips while she lifted her head to up at him in confusion, "why are you saying this to me _now_? Why not when we broke-up?"

"I know that I didn't say any of this when you broke-up with me and I have been kicking myself in the ass for it ever since," the brooder admitted while the cheer-captain offered a small smile at his words. "Letting you walk out that door without a fight was the biggest mistake of my life, and I know that it killed you inside when I didn't say anything to stop you, but I want you to know that I intend on spending the rest of my life making it up to you."

Brooke hated that she had to ask this final question.

"But what about Peyton?" She questioned as her lips tilted down into a frown, despite the happiness she felt because he had chosen _her_, "what about all of the stuff that the two of you have been through lately? _She _is in love with you, Luke."

"She's just a friend," the blonde argued as his blue orbs bored into the brunette, "I can't tell you that I don't care about her, because I do, but I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with _you_."

"But last night we said-"

"Pretty Girl," he interrupted as he caressed her cheek, "are you _ever _going to believe that I know how _I _feel?"

She scowled. "But last night we said we were just going to be _friends_."

Lucas shook his head. "I was lying last night when I said that we could _just _be friends. I _can't _just be your friend, I never could."

Brooke nodded, understanding what he was saying. The last time the two of them had _tried _to be friends they had ended up falling in love with each other. There was too much history between the two of them. They would never be able to be friends; they would always be _more _than friends.

"But last night, you seemed pretty convinced that we _could _be friends…what changed?"

"One of my dreams came true tonight, and the first person I thought of, was you." Lucas said honestly, as he grinned, "I made my choice, and it's you. So now, the ball is now in _your _court, Pretty Girl."

Scrunching up her nose as he brushed some of the confetti off her face, the dimpled-girl frowned up at the blonde as confusion flooded into her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you want to be that person standing next to me when all my dreams come true?"

"No," the brunette said with a straight face before she gripped a hold of his jersey and pulled his face down onto hers, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss that released all of their pent up emotions from the past month. Pulling away from him when air became a necessity, Brooke grinned at the surprised look on the brooder's face. "I want to be the one _kissing _you when all of _our _dreams come true."

"Mine just did," Lucas said as he held onto her, their foreheads touching as he sent her a charming grin, "I got you back."

Brooke kinked an eyebrow at him. "_That _was your dream, huh?"

"Mhmm," he smirked as he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips, "because you're the only girl that I could ever be with and I would rather be alone than without you. _You _are the girl for me, Brooke Davis."

"And you're the guy for me, Lucas Scott," Brooke whispered as she pulled him into her again, whispering into his ear as she smiled. She had spent the past month fighting her feelings, giving the brooder the chance to make his decision on his own, but she'd be damned if she let him go again. "I love you."

Standing ten feet away from the happy couple, Peyton Sawyer watched the two of them hold each other, oblivious to the people around them as the relished in the return of their love. The tortured artist merely sighed as she nodded, backing away from them.

Lucas had made his choice, and it had not been her.

-x-

**Tree Hill  
2015**

"Can you _please _read me the story, Daddy?"

A broody expression crossed his face as he turned around to look at his daughter, mentally slapping himself when he noted how the five-year-old had already jutted out her bottom lip into a pout as she looked up at him with twinkling azure eyes. The same mischief that _still _sparkled in his wife's hazel orbs when she knew that she was going to get her way was being reflected back at him through the eyes of their daughter and he knew in that moment that, no matter what he said or did, he would end up telling her the story.

"Ava, sweetie, I read you the story _last _night," Lucas pointed out as he tried to ignore the growing pout on his daughter's face. "Plus it is _really _long and you have to get to sleep. How about I read you a different one tonight?"

Lucas held his breath as the little girl squinted up at him, her expression the epitome of broody, praying that the brunette would take the bait and agree to him reading her a different, _much shorter_, story. After all, her bedtime had been an hour ago but she had managed to convince him to let her have a snack before bed…it was the dimples. He swore it was.

Ava continued to squint at her father before the figure standing at her door caused her entire face to light up as she pointed her little finger at the younger child. "But _Daddy_," she pouted, "you didn't tell the story to Keith last night! He wants to hear it too!"

The brooder squinted back at his daughter before turning around and, sure enough, his blue eyes were graced with the sight of his youngest child staring back at him with the same eyes. While Ava was a replica of her mother, except for his eyes, Keith was a miniature Lucas Scott growing up all over again.

"Hey, Little Man," he said as he walked over and scooped up the three-year-old, knowing his wife would laugh to kill herself if she saw that he was having trouble getting the two children to bed. "Why are you out of bed?"

Keith sent his father a toothy grin, "_story_."

Lucas knew that he should put his foot down and tell the two children that it was far too late for that story, ordering them to bed. He knew that, yet the blonde found himself sighing in defeat before carrying his son over to the bed so he could place the little boy down by his sister.

"You win," he sighed while the two children smiled up at him, "I'll read you a _part _of the story and then it's _straight _to bed."

Ava and her brother nodded as they quickly got under the purple comforter while their father walked over to the bookshelf to retrieve the novel that he had slowly been reading to dimpled-brunette. A soft grin crossed his face as he picked up the novel, Lucas' eyes scanning over the title as a surge of pride swelled up inside him.

_An Unkindness of Raven _by Lucas Scott.

It had been nine years since his first novel had been published and it still amazed him that he had been able to achieve his dream of becoming a published writer. And, as the events of that night so long ago came back to him, he didn't remember where he had been or what time it had been when he had gotten that phone call from his editor; he remembered who had been standing beside his side, clapping excitedly at the news. She had been there every step of the way.

All of his dreams had come true over the years, and he _knew _it was because he'd had her by his side. She had been his rock when the times had gotten hard and she had been the one to lift him up when he had needed a pep talk. After all, being cheery had always been her speciality.

"_Daddy_," the impatient voice called out in annoyance, eradicating the author from his thoughts as he looked over at his daughter with an amused expression, "_hurry up_."

"Ava Haley Scott," he scolded as he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, a reprimanding look on his face as he looked at the little girl while Keith giggled uncontrollably at the sight of his sister getting into trouble. "Patience is a virtue."

"Sorry."

The apology didn't sound as sincere as he would have liked but Lucas knew that it would be the best he got out of the little girl until she heard the story that she so desperately wanted to hear. He mused, it _was _partially his fault that Ava was no longer amused by short stories and would rather be read a long novel. She was a bookworm like him.

As her brother fought to keep his tired eyes open, Lucas couldn't help but note just how different the two really were. Where the little girl looked just like her mother with her father's love of books, Keith Sawyer Scott looked just like him and possessed his mother's positive attitude even at the age of three. The two were polar opposites; just like their parents. One broody and one cheery.

"What part of the story do you want to hear?" Lucas questioned, clearing his throat as he tried to push his brooding tendencies to the side long enough to get through the story. Maybe, if he was lucky, the two of them would be asleep before his wife got home, saving him from an explanation.

"The ending," the two children requested together in angelical chorus, causing their father to raise his eyebrows in suspicion. _That _they had both learned from their mother.

In response to their request though, the best-selling author merely flipped the pages open to his favourite part of the novel - _the ending_. The whole novel was a memoir of his final two years of high school but the end, when his whole life changed in one moment, was his personal favourite. It was the moment he could point to and say that he felt a change; it was when his dream came true.

"When she first bounced into my life she brought with her such an amazing heart and unmistakeable grace that I hadn't previously seen," Lucas read slowly, "that, when I saw the person that laid hidden underneath her walls, I knew that my life would never be the same. The moment that she popped up into my life would forever be ingrained into my memory, it would be the moment I would look to in future years, saying that it had been the moment that everything had changed-"

"It was, Momma, wasn't it?" Ava interrupted, two large craters indenting her cheeks as she grinned at Lucas.

Keith pouted in confusion before his father got the chance to answer the question, the little boy asking one of his own. "How did Mommy _bounce_? She-"

"Keith, she's _Tigger_," his sister groaned as she quoted her Aunt Haley, "and Tigger bounces."

The Mini-Cheery nodded at his sister's words, the two siblings sharing a look before they looked back at their father, waiting for him to continue the story. Ava seemed to have forgotten the question that she had asked and the author was free to continue with his reading.

Lucas cleared his throat. "And I knew that she would forever be the one that I wanted standing by my side," he continued to read as he turned the page, "With her, my dreams would come true because I would have her and she _was _my dream. Then suddenly, it was as if the roar of the crowd, and the cheers of my team mates were all sounding from a thousand miles away, and what remained in that bizarre muffled silence was only her. The cheery girl whose boldness and beauty and bravery had changed my life…"

As their father's comforting voice continued to murmur on, Ava and Keith lid down and cuddled up to each other underneath the warm comforter as both sets of cerulean eyes began to drift closed. Lucas, however, was transfixed by what he was reading, as was always the case when he read a novel, and failed to notice, his husky voice continuing to sound through the room.

"…In that moment, my triumph was not a state championship but a simple clarity, the realization that, though what was _in _our hearts was the only similarity we shared, we had always been meant for each other. We were two souls; two pieces of the same puzzle that completed each other and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth; I was now, and always would be, in love with Brooke Davis."

"Brooke _Scott_," a raspy voice corrected from the doorway.

Lucas jumped slightly at the sound of her voice and whipped around, instantly seeing his wife of six years leaning against the doorframe with a dimpled-grin lighting up her face, her hazel eyes twinkling in amusement as she gazed at him lovingly.

_Very funny_, he mouthed to the brunette as he stood up and placed the novel on the bedside table before kissing each of his children on their forehead. Straightening up his back, Lucas flicked off the small light and walked over to his wife, the two of them stepping outside the room before gently closing the door.

"Husband, am I _ever _glad to be home," Brooke breathed out in relief immediately, falling into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I missed you."

"I missed you back," he chuckled as he tucked a loose curl behind her ear, "Pretty Girl."

The feeling of being home coursed through Brooke's entire being as she pulled him closer to her body, happy to be in his arms again after being away from him for the past forty-eight hours. Two days seemed like such an insignificant amount of time but, to the fashionable mother, it had seemed like forever. She _hated _having to go to board meetings in New York. They pure were hell.

The fashion industry was far more exhausting than the brunette had ever thought possible, but she loved every moment of it, except for the rare occasions it took her away from her family. Having her own fashion line had always been her dream, though, and after high school, her chance to achieve it had arrived.

With the predicaments that their fragile relationship had already faced during their senior year, the thought of distance had terrified the two of them but they had made it work. Brooke had went to New York after high school on an internship with Victoria's Secret while the brooder had followed Haley and his little brother to UCLA, eager to help the young family take care of their son, and then a little over a year later, everything had fallen into place for the two of them.

The fashionista had been after flying up to spend the weekend with her family and, as she walked around the campus with her boyfriend, Lindsay, the blonde's editor, had called Lucas up with the news that she wanted to publish his book. After that, everything was history.

Her company, _Clothes over Bros_, had taken off quickly and his novel had instantly become a best-seller. After he had completed his book tour though, the two of them decided that it wasn't worth having their dreams come true if they had to fly all over the country to share it with each other.

The two of them then moved in together, opting for living in the penthouse that the brunette owned in New York, knowing that it would make it a lot easier to see each other if they were living in the city where Brooke's company was located. Then, a year later, a blessing in disguise had happened.

Nathan Scott had been injured on the court, erasing his dream of playing professional basketball, and the broody and cheery duo had moved back to Tree Hill to help the younger Scott brother through the transition. However, being in their hometown, helping Haley take care of Jamie while Nathan sorted out his life, made the young couple realise that Tree Hill was _home_. It was where they wanted to be.

Which was why _Clothes over Bros _had been re-located to the small town. Lucas and Brooke had been determined to make their dreams come true from home and had bought a large beach house that was a ten-minute drive from Naley's house. It was home. It was also the reason that the two Scott brothers had found themselves co-coaching the Tree Hill Ravens. The only downfall was the fact that the fashion icon had to fly up to New York every couple of months for board meetings.

"Long trip?" Lucas asked as he began to lead his wife to their bedroom, a concerned frown on his face when the hazel-eyed woman nodded in agreement.

"God yes. The meetings weren't too bad, but Rachel is hell bent on making my life hell. The next time I go up for board meetings, that's _all _I'm doing. No more favours for friends, _ever_," the former cheer-captain vowed as she fell onto their bed, breathing in deeply. "The bitch is _so _lucky that I love her, otherwise I would never have agreed to make her wedding dress. She is even pickier than Haley _and _Peyton were, _combined_."

The author raised a disbelieving eyebrow as he reflected on how fussy the curly-haired woman had been four years ago when his wife had worked _endlessly _to provide her childhood best friend with the wedding dress of her dreams. The fact that the two friends had been able to reconcile had always been something that the brooder had been happy for but, Lucas mused, he hadn't expected it to be as easy as it had been. Then again, after everything, all of the drama seemed trivial when it came down to the larger picture. They were a _family_.

It had been that reason alone that the tortured artist had done everything she could to wipe away the feelings that she had held for Lucas back in high school, and it had been that reason alone that Peyton Sawyer had turned out to be one of the largest supporters on the "Brucas-Bandwagon." She had realised that she would rather have both of them in her life as _friends_, than to lose them both by trying to get between their love.

An action plan that had worked out well for her when Jake Jagielski had walked back into her life three years after high school while the blonde had been living in Los Angeles. The two of them had instantly reconnected, claiming they would take it slowly, but just as Brooke had predicted, the two were unable to move _slow _and they had soon gotten back together. Then, four years ago, the two of them had gotten married and moved their family, which included a bubbly Jenny, back to Tree Hill.

"Oh, don't even look at me like that, Lucas Scott," Brooke warned as she twisted her body so she could curl up beside her husband once he joined her on the bed. "That redheaded harlot is _two seconds _from turning into Bridezilla…she would have _my _mother running in fear."

Lucas shrugged as he draped his arm around his wife's shoulders, rubbing her bare arms reassuringly. "If I were you I wouldn't bother stressing myself out over this dress, I'm still holding onto the belief that Owen will come to his senses and run for the hills before the wedding even starts."

Brooke smacked him on the arm lightly.

"Be nice," she ordered, "they make each other happy. Besides, you don't see her teasing us about _our _relationship-"

"That's _all _she does when she comes to visit," he frowned in confusion as he looked down at the fashion icon that merely rolled her eyes at him, "but I promise I'll keep all anti-Rachel comments to myself."

In actual fact, the brooder thought the world of the redhead who had turned out to be a great friend to the woman that was lying in his arms. Nevertheless, the laws of their friendship prevented him from admitting those truths aloud, just like the friendship that existed between Nathan and Brooke.

"So," Brooke began as a yawn escaped her ruby-red lips, "how were Broody-Girl and Mini-Cheery while I was away?"

"They were great," he admitted before a thoughtful expression crossed his face, "until all of their _Brooke-isms _began to shine through. Then they started to drive me crazy."

Brooke grinned to herself when she thought of her children, her fingers tracing random designs on her husband's chest as she listened to him go on about all of the mischief that the two of them got into. She was so proud of them; they had done as she had asked before she left. They had kept their father on his toes.

"You better hope the next one is more like you then," the fashionista mused when he was done talking, "you could use someone in your corner, Broody."

"_Next _one?"

"Mhmm," Brooke nodded as she closed her eyes, a reminiscent expression etched into her features as she thought back to the night the author had proposed to her in New York, "the night of our engagement when we went on that carriage ride, I _told _you there would be three children. Two boys and a girl."

"I love you, Crazy Girl," Lucas chuckled as he leaned down to kiss the brunette's forehead lovingly, knowing in his heart that he had made the right decision all those years ago. He couldn't imagine life without her or their children.

"I love you too, Husband."

Lucas grinned as he tightened his hold on his wife, mentally thinking of how perfectly their bodies still moulded together after all of these years as she slowly drifted off to sleep. It meant everything to him that they had made it work.

The blonde sighed contently as he glanced over at his laptop where his newest book was currently saved, half finished. It told the story about a quiet boy who moved through his life instead of really living, which of course changed when a bubbly girl bounced into his life without warning.

His grinned widened as he glanced at Brooke, his own eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep…

…it was _their _story.

Perfectly imperfect.

THE END.


End file.
